Paragraph 3: Response To Problem Of Evil(theodicy)

Question 1

What is a theodicy ?

Answer 1

Attempt to defend the existence or attribute of God against evil and suffering in the world
- defends and justify God and show that God can still have the character claimed by believers despite evident problem and evil

Question 2

What do philosophers draw distinctions between ?

Answer 2

Natural and moral evil

Question 3

What is natural evil ?

Answer 3

Evil and suffering that does not occur from the wrongdoings of humans or can be prevented by humans e.g earthquakes, illness , death

Question 4

What is moral evil ?

Answer 4

Evil and suffering from humanity choice to do bad than good e.g war, bullying, murder, war

Question 5

What can it be argued that all suffering is the result of ?

Answer 5

Moral evil

Question 6

Example of why it can be argued that all suffering is the result of moral evil ?

Answer 6

Fall of Adam and Eve which corrupted the whole natural order

Question 7

Who is Augustine and what did he develop ?

Answer 7

Bishop of hippo and Soul deciding theodicy

Question 8

Who is Augustine and what did he develop ?

Answer 8

Bishop of hippo and Soul deciding theodicy

Question 9

What did Augustine of Hippo disagree with ?

Answer 9

With Plato that everything in the physical world was imperfect imitations of the ideal forms

Question 10

What did Augustine of hippo argue about God

Answer 10

God could not make anything imperfect because he is a perfect being
Especially in Genesis 1:31 - creation story

Question 11

What does Augustine:soul deciding theodicy believe about omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent and omnificent God ?

Answer 11

Couldn’t have created evil

Question 12

What did Augustine : STD believe evil was caused by ?

Answer 12

• Privation of Good , the absence of good
• lack of good allowed evil to prevail
• e.g same way darkness only occurs in the absence of light

Question 13

How does Augustine: SDT explain the limitations of creatures ?

Answer 13

God created variety which is part of goodness and perfection
E.g a worm is perfect for a worm and does everything needed to be a worm

Question 14

According to Augustine : STD
How did evil first occur in the world ?

Answer 14

‘Fall of the angels’

Question 15

According to Augustine: STD , how did evil start by the ‘fall of the angels’ ?

Answer 15

• Angels were created perfectly but varied like creatures on earth
• some angels received less grace than others so varied
• so some angels received less guidance from God to be holy

Question 16

What defense does Augustine : SDT make to explain why people do evil and go against God ?

Answer 16

Free will defence, God granted us free will which we have the freedom to choose relationship with God same way angels used free will and chose not to worship God but go against him

Question 17

According to Augustine:SDT why does God granting us with free will a greater good that gives our life’s more purpose ?

Answer 17

We are not automata

Question 18

According to Augustine : STD where is the use of free will mirrored ?

Answer 18

In Adam and Eve where they were tempted by satan and they abused their free will

Question 19

IMPORTANT

According to Augustine: SDT , what did the abuse of free will from both falls cause ?

Answer 19

Whole cosmic scale that accounts for both natural and moral evil according to Augustine.

Question 20

Why is Augustine’s theodicy referred to as the soul deciding theodicy/free will defence ?

Answer 20

Emphasises that evil requires a decision using free will about whether they will follow God or give into evil

Question 21

What are the 3 retorts to Augustine soul deciding theodicy ?

Answer 21

• we don’t have true free will, our decision to go heaven or hell is determined already by God so use using free will is pointless
• serpent in bible not explicitly mentioned as Satan in disguise
• his theodicy replies on Genisis 2/3, angels not mentioned in bible except as guards after Adam and Eve sinned

Question 22

AO2

Strength 1: A posteriori (observations)

Answer 22

Free will fits with our experience of the world we can observe a posteriori suffering as a result of human action

Question 23

AO2

Retort to strength 1

What about natural Evil ?

Answer 23

Augustine poses a convincing argument for moral evil but less convincing for natural evil, how can human free will cause natural disasters

Question 24

AO2

SDT response : Jeremy Bentham for natural suffering ?

Answer 24

• For Augustine evil is not a thing but is the privatisation of good so we cannot see evil in nature
• Jeremy Bentham would say that the association with between suffering and evil is an artificial association linked to the hedonic principle , under governance of pleasure and pain so the notion that thing cause evil/suffering is bad is a hedonic viewpoint of the world
• many pleasurable thing are bad and painful good- gives a warning

Question 25

A02 : Strength 2: Automata

Answer 25

If we were automata (robots/puppets) what would be the purpose/meaning of life - we need to freely decide (soul-decide) to choose to love God as he does for us

Question 26

A02 : Retort to strength 2: Brian Cox

Answer 26

- assumes that there is a telos/purpose to life - Brian Cox says why do we assume that it is more natural for nothing to exist than something to exist - when something exist it requires an explanation to its existence and believe in its purpose other than its existence being its purpose - does not require God to understand life

Question 27

A02: Strength 3: privatisation - Herbert McCabe

Answer 27

- Herbert McCabe uses example of a bad grape and bad deckchair - a bad deckchair is the same as a bad grape, the deckchair would be bad if it broke once you sat on it but not the same if you sat on a grape so grape is not bad - privatisation is that something is bad if falls short of our expectations - so God hasn’t fallen short of our expectations we have fallen short of Gods expectations

Question 28

A02 : retort to privatisation- Herbert McCabe

Answer 28

- privation of good removes God of responsibility in suffering and evil - does not explain how due to privatisation of Good , natural evil occurs - mackie says God could’ve created humans to good decisions if he is so omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent

Question 29

What are the 7 critisms of Augustine SDT

Answer 29

1. Augustine believe that due to the fall we’re moving away from perfection but evolution suggest we’re moving TOWARDS perfection - species evolving and adapting to environment 2. If God created a perfect, does make sense why Adam and Eve had free will to do bad and create original sin 3. Why would God create hell in a perfect world so God assumed something would go wrong which is incoherent to the idea of perfection 4. If we are seminally present in the lions of Adam not fair that we should pay price for someone else’s disobedience 5. If God chooses who goes heaven or hell then free will is limited and if we have a choice between heaven or hell, will choose to do good to avoid punishment so free will not true freedom 6. How can fall of angels lead to cosmic disturbance, cause tectonic plates to move and create an earthquake 7. Due to fall we have a natural inclination to sin so unfair we are held FULL responsible for actions